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Tsongas, McGovern urge caution on Syria

By Rick Sobey, rsobey@lowellsun.com

Updated:
08/30/2013 12:13:56 PM EDT

A Turkish Air Force fighter jet makes a landing approach at Incirlik Air Base, Turkey, Friday. U.N. Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon said the Inspection team in Syria is expected to complete its work Friday and report to him Saturday. (AP Photo/Vadim Ghirda)

U.S. Reps. Niki Tsongas and Jim McGovern have joined several Massachusetts legislators calling for caution and forethought in the nation's approach to the Syrian government, which reportedly attacked its people with chemical weapons last week.

Tsongas said the reported use of chemical weapons and mass killings in Syria is a "deplorable act against humanity," but she stressed that U.S. military intervention must be carefully weighed. Tsongas said she has grave concerns that any military action could have serious repercussions.

"It's a very challenging situation, and we need to think this through very, very carefully," said Tsongas, who represents Massachusetts' 3rd Congressional District. "We have to consider all the responses and think about the counteraction from Assad."

Syrian President Bashar al-Assad has been at war with rebels within the country since "Arab spring" protests in 2011 were met with a violent governmental crackdown. Last week, reports emerged that a rebel-held suburb of the capital, Damascus, had been attacked with a chemical weapon, killing hundreds of people, some of whom had hunkered in their basements for cover from the shelling.

Tsongas emphasized that Congress needs to be "intimately" involved in the Syria debate and decision-making process. She's urging President Barack Obama to communicate with Congress, and the international community, before making any decisions.

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"I absolutely think the president needs to consult with Congress," she said. "He needs to reach out to us to determine the best way forward. It's an international problem and other countries need to be brought into the discussion as well."

Tsongas and McGovern joined 53 other members of Congress on Thursday in signing a letter to Obama regarding Syria. The letter, also signed by Massachusetts Congressman Stephen Lynch, emphasized Congress' constitutional power to approve military force.

Visiting U.S. Defense Secretary Chuck Hagel, right, accompanied by Cemetery Superintendent Larry Adkifson, center, and Assistant Superintendent Hubert Caloud, bends reads the name of a fallen American soldier after a wreath-laying ceremony at the sprawling American Cemetery at suburban Taguig city, east of Manila, Philippines, Friday. Hagel, who met earlier Philippine President Benigno Aquino III and top defense officials and the military, said Friday the Obama administration was consulting with allies to "further develop the facts" about last week's alleged chemical weapons attack in Syria, and options for a response. (AP Photo/Bullit Marquez)

"While the ongoing human rights violations and continued loss of life are horrific, they should not draw us into an unwise war -- especially without adhering to our own constitutional requirements," according to the letter.

"Before weighing the use of military force, Congress must fully debate and consider the facts and every alternative, as well as determine how best to end the violence and protect civilians," the letter to Obama continued. "We stand ready to work with you."

U.S. Rep. John Tierney, who voted against the Iraq War authorization and questioned the lack of support for a strike in the region, said Obama should call Congress back into session, and lay out the evidence.

"Where's the Arab League on this whole thing, and why aren't they standing up? . . . I think Turkey is supportive of somebody else doing something that they ought to be stepping forward and taking a lead on," said Tierney, who represents Massachusetts' 6th District. "The United States doesn't always have to be the most outraged and the most aggressive."

U.S. Sen. Elizabeth Warren also urged caution as the United States weighs its options.

"There is no doubt that what Assad -- or I think there is not doubt at this point -- that what Assad has done violates international law. This is a violation against all the people of the world, not just the people of the United States, but all the people," Warren said Wednesday, when asked if Syria posed a direct threat.

"At this point, it's about identifying that we have a goal, and that we have a reasonable way to get there," she added. "But I want to caution on this. It's critically important that we remember about unintended consequences. We may have good intentions, but the consequences of our acts are not limited by those intentions."

U.S. Sen. Ed Markey saw routes for military engagement, with restrictions.

"It is important for the United States to stand up and say, 'No, chemical weapons cannot be used.' At the same time, we do not want to involve ourselves with ground troops in a civil war in Syria," Markey said.

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